For the Risk of Love
by Garden-Goddess
Summary: Zoie Takara is a fiery woman who goes to any lengths to win a man's money but when her friend puts her up to the challenge of softening the cold exterior of the duelist billionaire Seto Kaiba, she finds she's getting more than what she bargained for
1. The Wager

~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ 

For the Risk of Love

By: Garden Goddess

Garden Goddess Tales © 2003****

~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ 

Author's Note: Hey guys, yes another Kaiba fic! I know, I know, I'm obsessed! ^_^ I can't help myself but anyways, this one I came up with while watching tv. I really think you guys will like this one. I'm SO excited to write it! ::coughs slighty:: ANYWAYS, like I said this is another Kaiba fic. I do so many but I've restricted myself to only doing the characters I do well. Which leaves me Kaiba, Sonosuke from Rourouni Kenshin, Hiei from Yu Yu Hakusho, and Tasuki from Fushigi Yuugi. I can only put these few into FULL character cause I watch these shows the most. 

          Naturally, I can do Kaiba's character well because I've watched the show for pretty much ever and I relate to him alot in more ways than one so its a personal thing but anway I really try my best! But anyways, about this story. Well, this story is going to be in third person, only because I love to right alot of descriptions. I know, I know, I probably do first person better but, hey change is good! Also, to warn you, Kaiba may seem a little out of character but this takes place when he's older so time changes a person. (I'm referring to his relationship with his brother not with others. He's still cold towards others but I made his relationship with his brother more loose than when he was younger.)

          This story is in fact, rated R. There will be some quite lemony scenes but I will not go into full blown out detail like I had done in "The Fall of Seto Kaiba" only because I really don't like doing them. I know, its a shocker isn't it?! Me? Not liking to do lemon scenes?! But anyways, regardless, I believe you will enjoy this - so please read and review and oh enjoy!

Summary: Zoie Takara is a fiery woman who goes to any lengths to win a man's money but when her friend puts her up to the challenge of softening the cold exterior of the duelist billionaire Seto Kaiba, she finds she's getting more than what she bargained for.

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of its characters. I do however, own Trish._**

****

**_This story contains explicit scenes of sexual content. Reader discretion is advised._**

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter One: The Wager

          Zoie let out a huff and collapsed into the sofa chair in her friend's room, raising her gaze to the familar blonde as she eyed her with a grin. She raised her hands to rub her temples slowly and lightly as her friend laughed slightly.

          "Long day Zo?"

          "Longer than you could ever imagine, Mai."

          She lowered her hands to look up into the face of Mai Valentine. Her friend was one of the top duelists in the world but now being twenty one, Mai had decided to give her dueling reputation a rest and settle in. She and Zoie now shared an apartment together in the heart of Domino City and were close as sisters could get except for the occasional arguments over make up and clothes. Zoie and Mai had met five years ago at a dueling tournament and had been friends ever since. Zoie and Mai were similiar but very different in many ways. They both had bad tempers, loved shopping and makeup, eating out at resturaunts and most of all - loved rich men.

          "Still looking for the right guy with the right wad of cash?" Mai asked playfully as she began to fold clothes she had just removed from the dryer.

          Zoie let out a snort,"I doubt I'll ever find a guy worthy enough. Jett was the last guy I've been with in four months."

          Mai sighed loudly and lowered her shirt onto her bed, turning to her friend,"Maybe it's time you stopped running around with all these pretty boys and found a real man!"

          Zoie rolled her eyes,"Like Joey?"

          Zoie was perfectly aware that Mai had been dating Joey Wheeler for awhile now - two months to be exact. The two were inseparable and Zoie had to admit, he had a great personality and was fun to be around but he had no cash flow and that wasn't Zoie's taste at all or Mai's for that matter. Mai had assured her it wasn't about the money for her anymore and had given up on the trade. Zoie on the other hand, was still content being with a guy who was financially stable. She assumed it was because she felt more secure knowing that there was always money lying around.

          Both girls had been so similiar but had grown apart slightly over the last couple years. They had been so keen on marrying rich men and being showered with expensive gifts and cars but ever since Mai had realized her feelings for Joey, she hadn't even looked at another guy but him. Zoie had alot to say on the matter but kept most of it silent, for she could tell that Mai had more than just strong feelings for the rambunctious blonde man. Zoie wrinkled her nose when she rethought about it and erased the thought from her mind. Mai might be in love but it didn't necessarily mean she had to be as well.

          "Joey is a different story altogether!" Mai insisted as she returned to folding her laundry,"He's just so... I don't know! He makes me laugh."

          Her brunette friend rolled her eyes,"That's all you have to back it up? He makes you laugh?"

          Mai turned to her friend momentarily to glare at her than grin,"Shall I dare to add he's good in bed?"

          Zoie's hands immediately shot up to cover her ears,"No, please!"

          Mai burst out into laughter and batted her hand at her,"Relax, relax. Anyway, this is about you, not me. How about I set you up with someone? One of Joey's friends maybe? How about....Tristan?"

          Mai watched as her friend stood, her hands upon her hips,"Mai, I don't need you to start setting me up with men. I can find them on my own."

          "You can't just keep going for the money, Zo!" Mai desperately tried to convince her friend,"Don't you want to fall in love?!"

          Zoie lowered back down into the chair and snorted in a low cold tone,"Love is for saps, Mai."

          Mai blinked for a second,"You sounded so much like Kaiba just now, its freaky."

          It was Zoie's turn to look confused,"Kaiba? Who the _heck_ is that?"

          Mai looked at her friend strangely than slowly folded the last piece of clothing from the laundry basket and sat down on the end of her bed. She eyed Zoie for a moment, not sure why she didn't remember the young cold brunette man they had ran into at the tournament five years ago when they had first met. Mai had always despised the man due to his blatant coldness at everything and everyone that came in contact with him.

          "You don't remember him?"

          "If I had, I wouldn't have asked, Mai."

          Mai sighed,"Remember at the tournament five years ago? There was a helicopter there and a guy was hanging out of it, that was Seto Kaiba or Kaiba that is. No one really calls him by his first name."

          Zoie bit her lip at the memory than nodded,"The guy with the trench coat, right?"

          The blonde nodded,"That was him!"

          "He was pretty cute."

          "Trust me, that's _all_ he has going for him," Mai said crossing her arms at the memory of the obnoxious man,"Unless you count that multibillion dollar company he runs. Other than that, I don't think there's a damn thing about him I like."

          Hearing no reply, Mai looked up at her friend to suddenly see her grinning. Mai's eyes opened wide and she immediately regretted her last statement. She didn't need to ask to know what was running through her mind at the moment. Kaiba had money and Zoie _loved _men with money.

          "Zo, don't _even_ think about it!" Mai said standing up frantically,"Just pretend I never mentioned him! That guy is bad news! He's such a bastard - he'd probably never talk to you anyway!"

          "Mai, bastard or no bastard," She replied in response,"He's a billionaire! And that's enough for me!"

          She began to stand but Mai shoved her back into her chair,"Are you _crazy_?! What are you gonna do? Just walk up to him and go, 'Hi Kaiba I don't like you but I like your money, wanna date me?'! It doesn't work that way with him! He's different, Zo!"

          Her brunette friend stared at her,"Are you saying I'm not good enough for him?"

          Mai sighed,"No, honey I'm not saying that at all. It's just, this guy is cold as you can get. There isn't a girl alive that could get through to him - even you."

          Zoie crossed her arms and frowned,"So you _are_ saying I'm not good enough for him."

          Mai slapped her forehead in frustration,"Zo! Look at me sweetie! I never steer you away from men, I never do! But this time is different, you have to _stay away _from Kaiba!"

          Her friend suddenly stood,"Why?! If he's a cold hearted bastard, he still needs someone to take over that dumbass company of his when he dies! I could come up with some deal with him and be married to him by the end of this damn week!"

          Mai placed her hands upon her hips,"Would that be before or after you got through his line of bodyguards to even get near him to talk to him?! Besides, he'd hurt you!"

          Zoie opened her mouth to yell back but stopped. Mai was pleading with her, her eyes softening and tears springing to its rims. The brunette let out a soft sigh and slumped back down into her friend's chair. She hated arguing with Mai, they were so close and yet so different that it always ended up in full blown cat fights, sometimes even violent cat fights.

          "Mai, you always have to try and protect me like I'm some little girl," She said softly,"But like you said, I need to find a real man. Kaiba maybe be cold but he's got money that never runs dry. I _need _a man like that."

          Mai sat in front of her and squeezed her knees,"No, Zo, you _need_ a man that loves you."

          "I don't _need_ a man to love me," She said coldly,"Now, I'm telling you right now, Mai. I am going to see him whether you approve or not. I _will_ get him."

          Mai sighed and stood up, a grin suddenly springing to her face,"Well, if that's the way it's gonna be honey, I suggest a little wager!"

          "What type of wager?" Zoie suddenly asked her,"You didn't seem so approving a second ago."

          Mai grinned,"Hey, I warned you already honey, so now you must learn the hard way! Kaiba may be gorgeous but he's got absolutely nothing to back it up!"

          The brunette rolled her eyes,"Go on."

          "I bet by the end of two months," She said pointing a finger, "You can't get Kaiba to fall for you."

          "Why not?!" Zoie jumped up again,"Why wouldn't I be able to?!"

          "Did we not just have a whole conversation about that?"

          "Keep going," Zoie said, ignoring her last comment.

          "I bet you can't get him by the end of two months and if I'm right," Mai said with a cunning smile,"Than you give up and forget about him."

          "But Mai - !"

          "No buts!" Mai interrupted firmly,"This is a bet not a negotiation."

          "Fine," Her friend huffed,"But if I win, which I will, you will learn to accept him and let me feed off his money like I intend to."

          Mai's face contorted but Zoie's challenging expression egged her on,"It's a deal!"

          "Good!" Zoie said than grinned,"So what should I wear to his office?"

          Mai sighed and threw her hands up in frustration,"Zoie!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Kaiba raised his right arm and pointed to his door,"You're fired."

          He let his other hand run up to his face to apply two fingers to the bridge of his nose. That was the third employee today that had gotten him mad enough to fire them. He honestly didn't know why he hired these idiots to begin with. He swore he'd be able to run the company better all by himself instead of letting these morons do it for him. He finally lowered his arm when he heard his door click closed and finally allowed himself to collapse into his chair.

          He raised his gaze to the clock hanging over his door and sighed. Two more hours and than he'd leave this horrid place for the night. He sat up straighter and reached over to his desk where an extremely large amount of papers were stacked. He needed to get through atleast half the pile before he left, assuring him less work the following morning. He was about to reach for the first staples packet but his hand fell short when the piercing ring to his office phone echoed in the room.

          He leaned over to push the speaker phone button and grumbled,"Kaiba."

          "Hey Seto!"

          Kaiba's face broke into a grin,"Mokuba? Aren't you supposed to be at Trishelle's?"

          Trishelle was his younger brother's girlfriend or so Kaiba assumed she was. She was constantly at the house, Mokuba was constantly taking her out and it didn't take a genius to know what was going on in Mokuba's room during the night. Normally, Kaiba would have been furious with his younger brother's actions but he kept forcing himself to realize that his younger brother wasn't so young anymore. Being eighteen entitled him to alot more freedom, including the option of moving out of his mansion - but luckily for him, Mokuba told him the thought never once crossed his mind.

          "I am," Mokuba's voice expressed the grin Kaiba knew was upon his face,"I just wanted to let you know that I won't be home later tonight."

          "Okay," Kaiba's response was less than enthused. He hated being alone in the mansion.

          "Big brother?"

          "Yes, I'm here."

          "You sure... you don't want to double date with us?"

          Kaiba laughed and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his two fingers again. Just what he needed, his brother to bring up the girlfriend issue again. So Kaiba didn't date very often, heck, maybe not at all but that still didn't give Mokuba the right to start pairing him up with every woman in sight. Mokuba would always say that normal twenty two year olds went out and had fun but Kaiba would just remind him that normal twenty two year olds didn't own and run their own company. That usually made Mokuba's attempts cease - for the moment anyway.

          "Must we go through this again?"

          "I'm just concerned," Mokuba's voice softened and Kaiba's brow raised.

          "Don't be," Kaiba assured him,"Now, you go have fun tonight. I won't wait up for you so don't worry about me snooping on you and your precious Trish."

          Mokuba chuckled into the phone and Kaiba grinned,"It wouldn't be the same if you didn't."

          "It'd make me a pervert," Kaiba said disgusted,"That's utterly grotesque."

          "You _are_ a pervert."

          "I am not," Kaiba hissed,"Let me mention dear brother that I'm not the one who brings women home with me."

          "You could if you _wanted_ to," Mokuba stressed,"Why don't you date more?"

          Kaiba sighed,"This conversation is over."

          "You can't just stop the conversation!"

          "I just did. Have fun tonight," And with that, Kaiba hung up the phone by pressing the speaker button again.

          Kaiba placed his hands upon his face and let out a frustrated growl. He was sick of his brother trying to force him to date. It was always brought up no matter how many times he managed to dodge his brother's concern for him. How long was it going to take before Mokuba realized he didn't need a woman in his life? Heck, he'd probably make his life worse if he was liable in having a girlfriend. Sure, he got lonely sometimes but that's only on account of him not having Mokuba by his side like he used to. Now Mokuba had his own life and Kaiba was forced into trying to adjust to it.

          Another shrill ring sounded from his phone and Kaiba groaned, lifting his hand to smack the on button angrily,"What do you want?!"

          "Mr. Kaiba, sir, there's a young lady here to see you."

          "Does she have an appointment?" Kaiba asked coldly. He really didn't feel like dealing with anyone at the moment.

          His secretary paused for a moment before speaking,"She says she's here to apply for that job you advertised."

          Kaiba rubbed the bridge of his nose again,"Can't you take care of it?! Must I do _everything _myself?!"

          "I'm sorry...sir... but she's applying for that.... assistant's job."

          Kaiba began to roll his temples,"Just send her in. And Joanne?"

          "Yes?"

          "I'm sorry I've been... rather.. harsh on you, I've just - "

          "I understand."

          Kaiba sighed,"Ok." 

          He pressed the off button and leaned back in his chair to let out a deep breath as he waited for his doors to swing open. He knew he had to take care of this himself. He had made an ad for an assistant about two weeks ago and so far only three applied for it. He needed an assistant badly but it seemed no one could stand him enough to be around him all day. He grinned at thought.

          His doors creaked slightly as they opened and Kaiba sat up straighter as a young woman around his age stepped inside. He raised his gaze, slowly grabbing the application he gave to all applicants and almost let his mouth drop open at the sight of her. She was tall, yet still shorter than he, with long dark brown hair that stopped just below her round plump breasts. Her eyes were a vivid bright green and her lips were a soft supple pink. Her skin was a pale white but not too pale that it looked sickly. She was dressed in a sleek dress that hugged her curves and carried a purse over her right shoulder. In other words, Kaiba was floored.

          He assumed he had been staring at her because she was looking at him strangely, as though maybe there was something on her face or she had a stain on her dress. He cleared his throat, trying to cover his embarassment and slapped the application he was holding on the edge of his desk.

          "Sit down and fill that out," He ordered, dropping his gaze immediately to the pile of papers he had,"Than we'll go over your resume."

          Kaiba continued on in his paper work, forcing himself to keep his eyes down on what he was doing but he was pulsing with temptation to catch another glimpse of her. He balled his fists momentarily, angered at his sudden strange behavior and resumed with his paperwork. He had never acted so foolish over a woman before. So she was attractive, big deal - he'd seen attractive women before. Most of the time he just looked them over than look away. He could handle gorgeous women. 

          Than why was he so compelled by her features?

          Damn it, he was looking at her again. She was doing as he had told her to do. She was filling out the application, her delicate hands moving swiftly but steadily over the blank fill in sheet. He pried his eyes away again and suddenly let out a growl. He was really angry at himself now. She raised her gaze to him slightly and he pretended to be annoyed by the stack of endless papers he had seated on his desk and she soon returned to the form.

          _'Damn it, what the hell is wrong with me?!'_Kaiba's mind raced, _'She's just a woman! You've seen thousands of women walk in here before so why should she be any different?!'_

"I'm done."

          Kaiba's head shot upwards and she held out the application out to him. He took it reluctantly and was almost tempted to brush his hand up against hers than shunned the thought away. He was just being foolish now.

          His eyes ran down to the name immediately and than looked up at her.

          "Well, let's start off with introductions," Kaiba said rather emotionless,"If you don't know already, I'm Seto Kaiba and I own this Corporation."

          The woman nodded,"I've heard of you before - many times actually."

          Kaiba grunted and sighed,"And you are?" 

          His eyes ran over the name and mentally read it as she spoke it,"Zoie Takara."


	2. You're Hired

~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ 

For the Risk of Love

By: Garden Goddess

Garden Goddess Tales © 2003****

~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ ☼ ~ 

Author's Note: Hey guys GG here again. Here's another chapter of my story! I know it seems a little fuzzy at first but the plot will get better - trust me! So please read on and review!

Summary: Zoie Takara is a fiery woman who goes to any lengths to win a man's money but when her friend puts her up to the challenge of softening the cold exterior of the duelist billionaire Seto Kaiba, she finds she's getting more than what she bargained for.

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of its characters. I do however, own Zoie._**

****

**_This story contains explicit scenes of sexual content. Reader discretion is advised._**

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter Two: You're Hired

          Kaiba's mind raced for a second. Where had he heard that name before? It sounded so familiar to him and he raised his gaze to look at her a little more closely to figure it out. She seemed a little intimidated by it so he looked back down at the application again. Than his eyes ran over her former employment and his eyes widen.

          "Former National Duelist Champion of America?!" Kaiba's voice expressed his shock as he lowered the application from his view to look at her,"You're a duelist?!"

          Zoie tried her best to surpress a giggle. She knew he'd recognize her after he read what her former job had been. She was beginning to think that maybe this was going to be easier than she had thought, especially by the way he had looked her over when she first walked in. It was a clear indication that he atleast found her physically attractive.

          "Yes, two years straight champion actually," Zoie explained to him,"I've retired from the game though. I was eighteen when I finally resigned."

          Kaiba looked down,"And I see you're twenty now. Didn't I see you-"

          "-at Battle City?" They both finished together.

          Zoie nodded at his look of utter shock,"You were the one who held it right? I wasn't exactly invited per se but I did get a chance to use you're equipment."

          "You're friends with that fool Yugi." Kaiba's frown hung heavily on his face.

          "Correction," She added matter-of-factly,"I _was_ friends with Yugi. Me and him have not spoken since than so you can't use that as an excuse to not hire me. The only ones I keep in touch with are Tristan, Mai and -"

          "Joey Wheeler?" He offered with a growl.

          She nodded,"Yes."

          Kaiba muttered,"That mutt is probably in jail by now."

          Zoie couldn't help but feel angry by his comment,"He's not _that _bad you know. I used to hate him too but he's really nice once you get to-"

          "Save you're pathetic jabbering," Kaiba snapped raising the application to read it,"Why should I hire you?"

          "Because no one else wants this job."

          "People will do alot of things for money," Kaiba insisted with a hard glare as he lowered her application again to look at her.

          "Everything except spending all day with you," She snapped back. She bit her lip once she let it fly loose and blinked when he didn't respond at first. She didn't mean to let that one come out but his attitude was really beginning to get underneath her skin. She really didn't mind working for him because the pay would be good and she could always use the money but the whole point to this was being able to spend time with him and getting him to loosen up so she could get him to like her. Than Mai would lose the bet and she'd be the richest woman in the world.

          "You're hired."

          Zoie almost jumped out of her chair when he finally spoke. She originally thought she had heard him wrong. When he should be yelling at her for her nasty comment, she had thought she just heard him say she was hired.

          "What?"

          "I said you're hired," Kaiba said lowering the application,"You available to start now?"

          Zoie hesitated," I... guess..."

          "Good," Kaiba rose from his chair and gestured to the piles on his desk as he put his trench coat on,"See these piles? Separate them by date and subject. I'm going home for the night."

          Zoie's mouth practically hung open,"What?"

          Kaiba growled angrily at her,"I'm paying you to work, not for sitting there and asking stupid questions!"

          Zoie immediately rose from her seat and approached his desk as he turned to leave. His tone sure had its way of forcing her to do what he wanted. She just couldn't stand its harshness.

          "Once you're finished, leave them on my desk. I expect you here by nine tomorrow," Kaiba said flatly opening his door,"I hope you're a hard worker because you've been hired during our busiest time."

          With that he slammed the door closed behind him leaving her alone in his office. Zoie let out a sigh and slumped down into his office chair. She never imagined that this would have happened. He was most likely going to work her until her arms and legs fell off and in that condition, she wouldn't be able to seduce him like she had orginally planned. She let a smirk make its way to her lips once she finally thought about how more handsome he had become since the last time she had seen him. 

          He still kept his hair rather messy, letting his bangs brush into his eyes and the length no further than the nape of his neck. His eyes were still that tantalizingly fierce bright blue that she had remembered from the large screens in Battle City. His features, such as his mouth, nose, arms, and chest, had all been redefined into a more manly physique rather than keeping its original boyish defines. He was about an inch or two taller now as well. She guessed he was about six feet or taller now. To top it off, he still wore those trench coats she had been so taken by when they were younger except now instead of his dark blue trench coat, he wore a black one in its place. She supposed he still contained the dark blue one and she found herself wishing he had worn that one instead.

          Suddenly a shrill ring snapped her from her thoughts and she stared at his office phone. She panicked for a second, not sure what she should do but than again, she was his assistant now and she should probably take his messages when he wasn't around. She slowly let her hand make contact with the back of its reciever, its shrill ring echoing into the room again. Finally she picked it up and brought it to her ear and mustered the best professional voice she could.

          "Kaiba's office. May I help you?" Zoie wrinkled her nose at her greeting. It made it sound like  fast food place or a department store.

          "Who's this?" A boy's voice greeted her on the other end.

          She rolled her eyes than tried to keep a steady tone,"This is Zoie Takara. I am Mr. Kaiba's new assistant. He's not in right now - just left a couple moments ago actually. Would you like me to give him a message?"

          "No, its alright, this is his brother Mokuba."

          "Mokuba?" Zoie's mind suddenly pictured the short young black haired boy from the tournament and she grinned,"Mokuba?! Oh my! It's been ages since I've last seen you!"

          "I know you?"

          Zoie tapped her head momentarily at her stupidity,"Oh, I'm sorry. This is Zo, you know, the brunette that hung around Mai Valentine? I was there when you're brother was giving Battle City."

          There was a brief silence and than he replied,"You're the one who called my brother an egotistical psycho, right?"

          Zoie gasped. She had completely forgotten about that. Luckily, only Mokuba was around when she had said it and he had given her one heck of a lecture about it. It had been after Kaiba had tried to challenge Yugi a million times when he was trying to find his friends. She had found him to be acting so obnoxious that she just _had_ to say something.

          She laughed slightly,"Don't tell him that though!"

          Mokuba's laugh relieved her nervousness,"Don't worry I won't!"

          She grinned and leaned back in her chair,"How old are you now? Seventeen?"

          "Eighteen."

          She squealed slightly,"Oh! You must be absolutely adorable!"

          Mokuba chuckled,"So when did my brother hire you?"

          Zoie sighed,"Just now, actually. I almost gave him a heart attack when he realized I dueled. He looked like he was ready to pass out! Than he started to attack me about being friends with Yugi and - wait! He isn't gonna challenge me to duel him is he?!"

          "Nahhh," Mokuba's response made her realize how deep his voice was now,"He doesn't duel very often anymore. If you were Yugi he probably would but you're not so you've got nothing to worry about it!"

          "That's good," Zoie sighed,"So how are you? I haven't seen you in such a long time, kiddo."

          There was a slight pause,"I'm just - you know, relaxing and enjoying my teenage years."

          "I'm happy for you," Zoie slightly laughed,"You'll be alot more rounded than Kaiba is, that's for sure!"

          "Yeah, I guess."

          "So when-"

          She paused when Kaiba's doors flung open and Kaiba walked in, searching for something than finding it. He raised the brief case than turned, finally noticing she was on the phone. His eyes suddenly hardened into a deep glare as he tightened his grip on his brief case and clenched his jaw.

          "What are you doing?!" Kaiba asked angrily,"I leave you for ten minutes and you're already slacking?! You're even lucky I gave you this job!"

          Mokuba could heard him in the background and replied,"Zoie, tell him I said hi and he'll stop yelling."

          Zoie bit her lip,"You sure? Cause he looks pretty angry right now, I'm actually beginning to fear for my life."

          Mokuba's laugh echoed in her ear,"He's had a stressful day just tell him I said hi."

          Kaiba growled and started heading toward her, his hand extended, waiting for the reciever to be put into his palm, "Hand me the phone! I should fire you for this! I will warn you only once that you are not-"

          "Mokuba says hi," She said before he went any farther. Kaiba immediately stopped his yelling mid sentence, lowering his hand to stare at her quizzically than reached over and pressed the speaker phone button. There was a loud beep than Zoie heard the reciever go dead and link to the speaker. She hung the reciever up as Kaiba let his brief case drop to his floor.

          "Mokuba?" Kaiba asked smoothly.

          "Hi Seto!" Mokuba's voice came from the other end and Kaiba sighed, raising two fingers to rub the bridge of his nose for the fourth time that day.

          "Mokuba, what are you doing talking to my employees?!" Kaiba said irritated,"Didn't we have this discussion before?! You can't keep trying to get every woman I know to date me. I'm so tired 

of - "

          "That's not what I was doing!" Mokuba suddenly hissed,"I called to talk to you and we were just talking!"

          Zoie looked at Kaiba confused and he waved her off dismissively,"Mokuba, what do you want? I'm here now so tell me."

          Mokuba suddenly changed his tone,"Now that you mention it, Zoie do you have a boyfriend?"

          Kaiba growled into the phone,"That's it. Mokuba you're grounded."

          "You can't ground me! I'm eighteen!"

          "But you live under _my_ roof," Kaiba muttered,"I expect you home by ten. Now if you excuse me, I have-"

          "So do you Zoei?!" Mokuba's voice piped up again,"Cause Seto's available - "

          Kaiba shut the phone off before he could finish and snatched up the reciever,"Goodbye Mokuba, I will see you tonight. I love you. Bye."

          He slammed the phone down and shook his head. Zoie sat immobile. She had never seen anything like what had just happened before her. Kaiba looked at her briefly than slowly walked to the front of his desk, stepping over his brief case. He suddenly began to pace back and forth in front of her and she bit her lip nervously. Maybe this was going to be harder than she thought. Dating was obviously a sensative subject for him and she was thinking seducing him wasn't a really good idea anymore.

          "Uhh... Mr. Kaiba?" She asked finally mustering up courage.

          "What." Came the flat reply.

          "Are...you alright?" She said softly,"Would you... like some coffee?"

          "I'm fine."

          Her brows furrowed in annoyance,"Okay, I can't take it anymore!"

          Kaiba stopped pacing to look at her,"What?"

          She stood from the chair and let her palms rest on his desk,"Don't you think the reason he's pushing you dating so far is because he cares about you and wants you to be happy?!"

          "I am happy!" He snapped back,"And I didn't ask for your input!"

          Zoie suddenly realized the impact of her words. If Mai were there, she knew she'd be telling her to practice what she preached but she dated - just not for love. But this was different. Kaiba never socialized with anyone. She doubted he ever had sex let alone kissed a girl before. It made her angry that he cared more about his work than actually spending time with the female gender. No wonder he was such a bastard all the time.

          "Are you always this stubborn?!" She suddenly yelled angrily.

          "Are you always this bitchy?!"

          "Only to men," She retorted as she walked around his desk and grabbed for her purse,"Forget this job, I quit. File you're own damn papers."

          She walked past him but he grabbed onto her arm,"Wait."

          "I will ask you once to let go of me," She told him coldly,"I never tolerate anyone touching me."

          His hand left her arm and he muttered,"I need you here. I've had so much work that I have been falling behind and you're the only that applied that's capable of the job."

          "You talk as though I care," She barked, turning to him angrily,"I don't know why I even bothered coming here, it's obvious you're practically dead on the inside!"

          Kaiba's face filled with confusion and she slapped a hand over mouth. Great! She almost dropped the fact that she only took the job to try and get him to like her. She couldn't let him know or he'd be doing more than just firing her.

          "Why do I feel like we're talking about two different things here?"

          "Just forget about it," She breathed,"I'm leaving."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

          Kaiba blinked and than twitched as the echo of his door slamming reached his ears. He than raised his hand to his nose again, pressing two fingers to the bridge and let out a loud frustrating growl. He knew he shouldn't have even bothered to hire her but he had told her the truth. He needed the extra help because he had been falling behind horribly. Now, he was unbelievably confused by her sudden reaction to the argument he had with Mokuba. He approached his desk again and leaned down to grab his brief case.

          'Now what am I going to do?' He asked himself as he rose clutching the handle and turning to daze at his current situation, 'Without help, I'm going to fall even farther behind. She was right, no one will work for me. This is ridiculous, I don't need anyone's help! I am capable of doing this all by myself.'

          He suddenly let his brief case drop to the floor and returned to his desk, plopping back into his chair to gaze at the piles of papers upon his desk. He would work late into the night and be done by he guessed - midnight. Than he'd have a fresh start in the morning after he went home and attempted to get some sleep. He knew it'd be a waste of time. He could never sleep a full night let alone a couple of hours. Sleep wasn't part of his mind set but coffee held a prominent spacing. 

          'Coffee sounds like a good idea,' His mind suddenly thought, 'I'm going to need alot of coffee to last me tonight.'

          With that thought still lingering in his mind, he grabbed the phone reciever to page his secretary with one hand as he grabbed a pile of papers with his other. Hearing no response, he stood, grabbing his mug and huffed as he approached his door.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

            Zoie had made it as far as the elevator on the floor before she stopped herself, silently cursing at herself for giving up such a good job. Besides the fact of being able to work next to Kaiba, she had given up the opportunity of good pay, which she desperately needed at the moment considering she had quit her other job a month ago. Mai did her fair share of work but they had made an agreement to split the rent and Zoie needed to come up with her share by the end of the week. She hated asking Mai to cover her share. She knew Mai was planning on saving up so she could go to beauty school to become a hair stylist. The thought of taking such money made her feel horrible but facing Kaiba - she wasn't exactly thrilled about that either.

          Her hand raised to press the elevator button but instead, just hung in the air as her mind raced. She had no idea that Kaiba held such a cold temper, one that worked its way underneath a person's skin scratching away at the flesh. She had never felt so angry at one's stubborness and lack of concern. Mai had been right in telling her that no normal girl could break down that iced wall surrounding him. Zoie literally had felt a chill when he stared at her, his eyes narrowed and his eyes burning into her own. Those eyes were the eyes of a cold, sadistical, unfeeling businessman - and it only made her want him more.

          Her hand lowered and she turned to stare down the hallway. Zoie had to be honest - there was never an instant when she felt she had truly had feelings for a man. Sure, sometimes there was a sense of attraction, but that was only natural, a cause of human nature. Than again, she had never really looked for love - only the size of their bank account mattered. She had been so shallow for years and never realized how fruitless she had been until this moment. If she stayed the way she was, she'd walk out and forget about Kaiba. She'd find another man with money and stay with him until his cash flow ran dry. Normally, she'd never waste so much time on a man - ever. It didn't matter if she lost the bet or not, this was just the way Zoie was. This was the _only_ way she knew how to be.

          But Kaiba was different.

          She wanted to get to know him - she wanted to know how a man so callous and cold could love his younger brother, could care for only one person and yet shun all the rest away. Even she herself wasn't _that_ cold. 

          She sighed and began to walk back towards his office making it all the way to his door but only standing in front of it. She was yet to find the courage to step back inside. His secretary eyed her strangely than slowly stood, placing a hand upon her shoulder.

          "Miss?" She suddenly recognized her,"Aren't you the young lady that applied for the assistant job?"

          Zoie looked at the secretary and smiled at the old woman,"Yes, I'm sorry about leaving like that. I just... I don't know what I'm doing here. He's only going to treat me like dirt."

          The old woman grinned and nodded,"I'm Joanne. I've been here quite awhile young lady and this is the first occasion I have ever seen such a beautiful young lady in the presence of Mr. Kaiba."

          Zoie smiled in return,"Zoie Takara. Is he always like this?"

          Joanne nodded,"He's in rare form tonight. He only becomes this rigid unless he's falling behind and buried in paperwork."

          "I guess I should help him than," Zoie sighed,"I saw the piles he has in there and it could take him all night - Mokuba would never forgive me if I let him do that."

          "Oh! You know young Mokuba?"

          Zoie laughed slightly,"How could anyone not know him? He's such a sweet adorable kid... used to be anyway. Now he's all grown up - probably just as handsome as his brother."

          Zoie felt the old woman slowly take her hand and squeeze it lightly,"I know this seems very odd for me to ask but... "

          Suddenly Kaiba's door swung open and he was about to walk out. He was stopped quickly however, when the two woman stood just outside his door, blocking his path while he held his mug to approach the coffee machine in the lounge in the other room. He saw Zoie's figure and his expression deadpanned into annoyance. Zoie shifted uncomfortably under his gaze and Joanne slowly approached him to take the mug.

          "Let me get that for you," Joanne smiled at him as his eyes followed her as she took the mug and walked away,"Miss Takara has been waiting for you."

          His eyes shifted back to her and he snorted,"What are you still doing here, didn't you just quit?"

          Zoie decided to give the same cocky look back and turned to him angrily,"I wouldn't be giving me attitude, Seto Kaiba."

          She pushed past him and grabbed a hold of his sleeve, pulling him into his office and slamming the door. Kaiba was stunned that he hadn't been alert enough to stop the action and finally removed his sleeve from her grasp. He turned to her angrily, his eyes narrowed into a expression of pure annoyance.

          "What THE HELL do you think you're doing?!"

          Zoie slowly let her purse hit the ground, her eyes locking into the blue orbs that stared at her. Kaiba's breath caught as he watched her approach him, her eyes not leaving the depths of his own. He found himself fighting to look away but not being able to as her figure was soon pressed up against his own.

          "Kaiba...."

          The sound of his name made a chill run down his spine and he shivered slightly as her hands slowly raised to frame his face. Kaiba didn't have a chance to even let a thought grace his mind for her hands were pulling him down to meet her lips. The touch of their lips was like a spark and it spread like wild fire. Kaiba's arms immediately shot up to encase her in a tight embrace, his strength crushing her slender body against his own as she encircled his neck with her own arms, trying to tighten the connection of their lips. Kaiba felt himself falling, his mind losing all rational thought as his hands began to explore the softness of her body.

          But before he found anything of interest, she broke away from the kiss, their lips separating with a soft smacking sound. They simply stared at eachother at first, not sure what to say after such a passionate moment. The daze was broken when Zoie's face suddenly broke into a crimson blush, her eyes disconnecting from his. Kaiba grinned at this and raised two fingers to her chin, tilting it upward so she looked at him.

          "That was some kiss Takara."

          She wrenched her head away from his fingers,"You deserved it."

          Kaiba's grin faded slightly into a soft smirk,"Let me take you out to dinner."

          "Are you asking me out on a date, Seto Kaiba?"

          "What if I was?"

          Zoie crossed her arms and eyed him wearily,"Than I'd likely think you were ill and feverish."

          "Weren't _you_ the one who kissed _me_ a second ago?"

          "You made me mad."

          "So you kissed me?" Kaiba asked confused and yet amused at the same time. His eyebrow raised slightly and the smirk still held securely onto his face. Zoie couldn't help but begin to blush again and looked away from him immediately.

          "I rid myself of frustration that way," She said turning her back to him,"You didn't seem to mind."

          "You didn't answer my question."

          "I didn't hear a question," She snapped,"All I heard was a command."

          Kaiba was becoming irritated,"Are you going to let me take you out or not? I'm not going to waste my time arguing with you any longer!"

          She turned to face him again and Kaiba felt his breath catch again. What was it about her that made him feel so strange on the inside? Sure, she was beautiful but he'd met numerous beautiful women before but not one that was as captivating as this one.

          "I'll go out with you on one condition."

          "What's that?"

          "We double date with Mokuba."

          Kaiba's face fell and she eyed him angrily,"Fine."

          Zoie nodded, a slight smile upon her face,"Shall we get to filing?"

          Kaiba turned to look at the piles on his desk and raised a hand to his face,"God, I almost forgot."

          "Let's get started!"


End file.
